S2E6: How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse
by BeyondTheClouds777
Summary: When Toothless is poisoned, Hiccup and the others race to find the cure: the rare, impossible-to-find potato.
1. Chapter 1

**WARNING: RACE TO THE EDGE SPOILERS!**

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 **Hi.**

 **So I'm early.**

 **Again.**

 **But I don't think you guys mind, do you? ;)**

 **So, anyways, here it is! :D How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse! :D I hope you all enjoy it! Oh, and to those who were wondering what Hogwarts house I was sorted into...**

 ***dramatic pause*  
**

 **HUFFLEPUFF!**

 **That's right! :D I'm a Hufflepuff! I took over ten quizzes online and got Hufflepuff each time. So, yeah. HUFFLEPUFF! ;D But I sort of wanted to be Gryffindor, because my older brother got me a Gryffindor sweater for Christmas...:/ Well, I was fifty percent Hufflepuff, thirty some percent Gryffindor, twenty percent Ravenclaw, and zero percent Slytherin. XD So, for those who wanted to know, that's it. XD**

 **Okay! So, anyways, on with the story! :D Enjoy chapter 1! :D Love you guys! :D**

* * *

It was nearing winter, and the sky was full of dark, heavy clouds that threatened snow and rain. Hiccup, Fishlegs, Astrid, the twins, and Snotlout were in the Clubhouse; their firepit was burning, and while Hiccup, Fishlegs and Astrid leaned over Bork's notebook, which they had obtained a few weeks previously, the twins and Snotlout threw arrowheads at a target hanging on the wall.

"Hiccup, these notes are incredible!" said Fishlegs excitedly, holding up the notebook. "Look at all this! I've never seen anything like this before, it's...it's amazing!"

"What about this?" said Astrid, pointing to words written at the bottom of the page. _"'If you want a Nadder to leave you alone, throw it chicken.'_ Bork knew how much Nadders loved chicken before any of us did!"

Tuffnut's chicken, who had been sitting beside Tuffnut, gave a screech and raced away as fast as its two short legs could carry it.

"Come on, Chicken!" Tuffnut groaned, jumping to his feet to race after it. "They didn't mean it! I promise!"

"I'm bored," moaned Snotlout, swinging his arm lazily and throwing an arrowhead at the dart. The arrowhead hit the target, but then fell to the ground with a pathetic _clink_.

"Then go fly Hookfang," said Astrid distractedly, still looking straight down at Bork's notes.

"Okay, I will!" said Snotlout, almost challengingly, and he stormed to his feet and towards the door of the Clubhouse, calling to Hookfang as he went. When he opened the door, a gigantic gust of wind nearly knocked him over, but he managed to make it outside with Hookfang, slamming the door behind him.

"Wow," said Hiccup, lowering his hand from where he had raised it to shield himself from the wind. "Thoughts on the weather, Fishlegs?"

"I'd say we're bound to get some snow," said Fishlegs. "Maybe a little, maybe a lot, who knows."

"Yes!" said Tuffnut. "I love snow! We can make snow muttonheads!"

"Snow muttonheads?" said Astrid. "That's one I haven't heard before."

"It's when you make Snotlout out of snow," said Ruffnut. "We haven't tested it yet, actually-"

"But if it snows, we will!" said Tuffnut. "Mark my words, we will!"

Snotlout and Hookfang barreled into the Clubhouse, and another gust of wind swept through it. Hiccup, Astrid, and Fishlegs raised their hands to shield their faces. Snotlout and Hookfang, pushing with all their might against the doors of the Clubhouse, finally managed to shut them.

Snotlout leaned against it, panting heavily. "Okay," he said, gasping heavily for breath. He raised a finger and, after another few minutes of panting, spoke. "The Changewings are freaking out about something," he gasped, "in the forest."

This caught the attention of the other riders, and even the dragons, who had been either sleeping by themselves or in a heap with another, perked up and looked in Snotlout's direction.

"Define 'freaking out about something,' Snotlout," said Fishlegs. "Were they freaking out because you spooked them, or is there another reason?"

"There's definitely another reason," said Snotlout. "Do you think I would come all the way back here and lead you guys outside in the freezing cold wind for no reason?"

Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs, and even the twins fixed him with a pointed look. After this, Snotlout's pride wavered, but his confidence didn't falter.

"Come on!" he insisted, waving his hand to motion them to follow.

"In the freezing cold weather, you mean?" said Tuffnut. "No thanks. Unlike you, we're not crazy."

"Or, at least our dragon isn't," said Ruffnut, jabbing her thumb over her shoulder. "He won't get up at all, lazy, stupid thing."

Barf and Belch were snoring; the only dragon who hadn't raised its heads at Snotlout's voice. Ruffnut gave the dragon an experimental nudge. Like she had expected, it still didn't move.

"There, see?" said Tuffnut.

"That's because they're not sleeping," said Fishlegs crossly. "They're hibernating."

"Oh, well, if they're hibernating," said Tuffnut, "why aren't _your_ guys' dragons doing it?"

"Because not all dragons hibernate, obviously!" said Fishlegs. "Actually, only a few of the many species do!"

"Um, guys!" said Snotlout. "Go see what Changewings are freaking out about, explain hibernation to the clueless weirdos later!"

"Right," said Hiccup, "let's head out. Ruff, Tuff, you can stay here with Barf and Belch."

Ruffnut and Tuffnut nodded, smiling.

"And don't blow up the Clubhouse while we're gone," Hiccup added.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut's smiles faded.

…

Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs, and Snotlout soared over the forest on their dragons, Snotlout in the lead and the others in tow. Hiccup rubbed his arms, trying not to shiver due to the cold blasts of wind gushing in their direction.

"How much further, Snotlout?" Astrid said; Stormfly was flanking Toothless with Fishlegs behind them.

"It should be riiiigghhht…" said Snotlout, looking down with an arm raised. "Um…"

"Preferably today, please, Snotlout," said Hiccup.

"There!" said Snotlout, pointing wildly towards the ground, and Hookfang dove downwards, followed quickly by the other riders. The tree branches were practically bending over double due to the strength of the wind, and it took the dragons a few extra moments before they landed.

"Eyelicker!" Hiccup called, and he waited a few moments. The wind howled through the trees, whistling loudly. Hiccup cupped his hands around his mouth and called louder: "EYELICKER!"

This time, a tree shimmered, and a bright red Changewing appeared out of nowhere and leapt forward, towards Hiccup. Hiccup stretched out his hand, and Eyelicker nuzzled his head against it.

Within moments, the other seven Changewings from Eyelicker's pack materialized and strode forward cautiously, glancing back over their shoulders every few moments.

"This is weird behavior, even for Changewings," said Fishlegs.

"You're right," said Astrid. "I've never seen them so timid before. Usually, they walk right up to us."

"What were you hiding from, Eyelicker?" Hiccup asked, ignoring his friends for the time being and taking a chance at staring into the Changewing's eyes. Eyelicker, in response, raised his head and looked around again frantically, as if expecting to be attacked at any minute.

"Huh," said Hiccup, also looking around. "I don't see anything."

"But something's wrong!" insisted Snotlout, hugging himself, his teeth chattering. "Something's wrong, right? Please tell me I didn't come all the way out here again for nothing."

"Well, definitely not nothing," said Hiccup. "Strange...maybe the wind spooked them? I don't think Changewing island gets this kind of weather."

"Good point," said Fishlegs, nodding. "Changewing island is normally very sunny and warm. We should get the Changewings back into the Clubhouse, just until the storm blows over."

"Right," said Hiccup, and he looked back at Eyelicker. "What do you say we go up to the Clubhouse?" he asked, and at Eyelicker's slight nod, Hiccup turned away from him and mounted Toothless.

"Alright," Hiccup said. "Follow us!"

Toothless launched himself into the sky, followed by Stormfly and Astrid, Fishlegs and Meatlug, Snotlout and Hookfang, and finally, Eyelicker and his pack.

They had barely gained air before the dragons - all of them - screeched to a sudden halt and looked back towards the ground. Snotlout almost fell over Hookfang's head by the sudden stop.

"Hookfang!" he snapped. "Move your lazy tail, Hookfang! Come on! I know you never listen to me, but could you make an exception?"

"It's not just you, Snotlout," said Fishlegs. "Meatlug won't budge, either!"

Stormfly jerked and growled. "Steady, girl," Astrid said calmingly. "Steady...come on, Stormfly, let's go."

Toothless' eyes were focused intently on the ground, and after a moment, he, too, recoiled. "Easy, bud," Hiccup said. "What do you see?"

He focused down at the ground, squinting...then, he saw what looked like a small speck of green flying upwards, towards them. It was so small, Hiccup couldn't tell if it was actually flying, or if it was a leaf blown by the intense wind.

But then, suddenly, Hiccup was able to tell what it was. It was a small dragon, skinny like a snake and barely the length of his forearm, flying upwards towards them.

And it wasn't stopping.

The dragon flew up at them and, without warning, Toothless swerved, jerked, and shot out of the way.

But before he could move completely, the tiny green dragon raised a tiny talon and sliced through the red fabric of Toothless' tailfin, and before Hiccup had time to say anything more than, "Uh oh," he and Toothless were plummeting towards the ground.

"Hiccup!" Astrid shouted, and she swerved Stormfly to follow them down. The tiny green dragon went for Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the Changewings; the Changewings roared in unison and shot in the opposite direction, towards the Clubhouse. Meatlug dropped out of the air, spreading her wings just before hitting the ground, and Hookfang lit himself on fire ("NO, NO, HOOKFANG!" Snotlout shouted) and dove to the side.

The trees broke Hiccup and Toothless' fall, but Hiccup still blacked out for a second upon landing. When he opened his eyes and lifted his head, Toothless was also raising himself from the ground, looking dizzy and disoriented.

The tiny green dragon circled back around and landed on the forest floor, only feet away from where Hiccup and Toothless had landed. The dragon narrowed its tiny red eyes and opened its mouth to do who-knew-what.

Stormfly and Hookfang landed behind it to its unawareness, and Astrid leapt off Stormfly's back, as did Snotlout on Hookfang. They charged towards the dragon from behind.

"Snotlout, your helmet!" shouted Astrid, and Snotlout, without protest or question, yanked his helmet off his head and tossed it to her. Astrid caught it and lunged.

She slammed the helmet over the tiny green dragon, capturing it beneath the dome of metal. Even now, Hiccup could hear its angry growls and the sound of its tiny talons scraping against Snotlout's helmet, looking for a way of escape.

But he only focused on this for a moment.

Because so far, Toothless hadn't moved further.

"Toothless," Hiccup said, and he hurried towards the dragon and crashed to his knees, reaching out to steady Toothless' head. "You alright?"

Toothless tried to lower his head again; Hiccup didn't let him. "Bud!" he shouted. "Look at me, alright?"

Toothless focused his eyes on Hiccup's, but now, Hiccup's worry increased ten-fold. The dragon's eyes were unfocused, and even now, he seemed unable to realize Hiccup was right in front of him.

Meatlug landed beside them, and Fishlegs dismounted, hurrying over with Astrid and Snotlout hastening to do the same.

"Hiccup!" Fishlegs shouted. "What happened? What's wrong with Toothless?"

"I don't know," Hiccup said desperately. "Astrid, Snotlout, get Stormfly and Hookfang. Help me get Toothless back to the Clubhouse. _NOW!"_


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! :D**

 **SOOOO, I forgot to mention, this fanfiction is inspired by book 3 in the HttYD series, "How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse", because I want it in an episode. XD**

 **So anyways, here's chapter 2! Two updates today! :D Shout-outs:**

 **ShadowSpirit020: You guys get it early, but it ends on a cliffhanger. LOL! :D**

 **DragonChanger1: Well, I don't want Toothless to die for sure. If one character HAD to die...um...well, for sad purposes, one of the twins. That would make me cry if one of them died. But a certain someone in the books ended up dying, so I'm actually wondering if DreamWorks is going to kill that same person in the third film...D: XD**

 **wikelia: Thanks! :D Yep, chills. XD**

 **Galaxy-Mitsuko-Pegasus: NOOO, TOOTHLESS! D:**

 **Gamer Spice: Thanks! :D Yeah, Hufflepuffs are cool. :D**

 **AquaticDragon: Thanks! :D Glad you like it so far! :D**

 **Charr2003: Yep! You guessed it! Hufflepuff! :D It's funny, you would think with how many times I've been evil to the characters, someone would have guessed Slytherin. XD But no one guessed Slytherin, so I'm happy about that. LOL! :D Oh, and there WILL be Hiccstrid in this episode for sure. I can promise you that. :D *wink* Yay, Pinterest follower! :D :D :D**

 **Jo: Yeah. Poor Toothless. :(**

 **Dimentional Phaser: I always do. ;)**

 **The Brucest Writer: Haha, I bet everyone's looking at the release dates I posted on my profile and betting how many days earlier I'm actually going to post it. XD Thanks a bunch! :D**

 **Animals Rule: *descreetly hides stick of dynamite behind back* Kill Toothless? What gave you that idea? XD**

 **Angel Azul: Yep, I will probably always post sooner than my set release dates. I can't help it! :D And yeah, no problem! Between my Spanish classes and a bit of Google Translate, I can read it just fine. :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **LunarCatNinja: Yep. Stupid, vicious dragon. :(**

 **Guest (#1): Awesome! :D**

 **HappyPup1: YES. PROTECTIVE HICCUP. :D**

 **pinkpop002: Haha, yeah, I noticed the potatoes. ;) But for sake of story...XD Thanks for the review! :D**

* * *

The tiny green dragon was trapped in a small glass jar with holes punched in the lid, growling and snarling, flicking its little red tongue. Ruffnut and Tuffnut tapped on the glass tauntingly and laughed when it growled at them. Fishlegs sat in front of the table of the Clubhouse, where the jar sat atop, flipping through Bork's notes, every now and then looking up at the green dragon in the jar.

"Come on, Bork," Fishlegs whispered. "Tell me you've found something like this before…"

Meanwhile, in the corner of the Clubhouse, Toothless laid on the floor with Hiccup sitting beside him and Astrid hovering nearby. Snotlout was looking over Fishlegs' shoulder.

Finally, Fishlegs threw down the book in triumph. "I found something!" he shouted. "Here!"

Astrid hurried over; Hiccup remained unmoved, absentmindedly stroking Toothless' head soothingly. "Where?" Astrid demanded, bracing one hand against the table and the other grabbing the notebook.

"There, see?" Fishlegs pointed to a picture that looked almost exactly like the dragon in the jar, drawn with black charcoal and covered in with a cruel green. "It says this dragon is called the Venomous Vorpent."

"Cool name," said Tuffnut, tapping the jar. "Did you come up with that all by yourself, little guy?"

The dragon hissed at him.

"It says," said Fishlegs, "that the poison is lethal to dragons and Vikings unless a cure can be administered in time."

"What's the cure?" Astrid questioned.

"Here, I'll read his entire entry," said Fishlegs, raising the book. He cleared his throat and read out loud for everyone in the Clubhouse to hear.

"'In my many travels across the archipelago,'" he read, "'I rarely came across a dragon such as this. The Venomous Vorpent dragon's venom is lethal to Vikings and dragons alike, and when the Vorpent stings, its victim cannot feel a thing, as the dragon numbs the area before the strike.

"'But in my travels, I stumbled across something that could cure one stung by the Venomous Vorpent: a rare vegetable called the potato.'"

"The potato?" said Tuffnut, confused. "But those don't actually exist, right? They're just from legend."

"Let me finish," said Fishlegs impatiently. "Bork says, 'I journeyed to a far away land, millions of miles from the isle of Berk in which I had grown up, and found a potato. But as I was leaving, I was attacked by soldiers. A knife was thrown at me, but it didn't hit me; instead, it sank into the potato, thereby saving my life.

"'I left the potato in a hidden cavern of ice, where no one would find it and where it would be kept as fresh as time would allow. I hope it is found eventually, but until then, the Guardian Dragon of the ice cavern should keep it safe from unwanted intruders.'"

"So you're saying," said Snotlout, "if Toothless was really stung by this thing, the only thing that can cure him is a legendary potato that may or may not exist that stays in a hidden cave that also may or may not exist along with some Guardian Dragon who may or may not just _kill us all?"_

Fishlegs flinched, but nodded. "That's about the size of it," he said.

All eyes turned to Hiccup, waiting to see what he would say. Hiccup swallowed thickly, drumming his fingers against his knee.

"Sounds like fun," he finally said, and he rose to his feet and, grabbing his satchel off its hook on the wall, began packing supplies.

"Hiccup, it's suicide," said Fishlegs, stepping towards him. "Even if the potato does exist, who knows what kind of dragon is guarding it? And you don't even know where to _start_ looking for Bork's hidden ice cavern."

"I don't have a choice," said Hiccup, stuffing his spyglass into the satchel. "If I don't go, what happens to Toothless?"

Fishlegs looked down at the ground sadly. "The venom of the Vorpent is lethal," he said. "And according to the notes on the Vorpent, it acts within forty eight hours. Which means...in two days...he'll…he'll be..."

"Stop," Hiccup said, holding up his hand. It was impossible to read his expression. "Whatever you're going to say, I'm not interested, because obviously, that's not going to happen, because I'm going to find the cure, even if I have to travel a million miles to get it."

"But you won't be able to fly in this weather," said Astrid, raising a hand towards the door. The weather had grown increasingly worse, and snow fell in gigantic, ridiculous amounts. "Not even Toothless could fly in this weather, much less a dragon slower than that."

Hiccup had just been packing away his dagger when Astrid brought this realization to light, and Hiccup, for a few moments, did nothing.

Then, with a shout of fury, he hurled the dagger across the room. Tuffnut ducked; the dagger sank into the bullseye of the target the twins had been throwing arrowheads at earlier and split down the middle, two equal halves crashing to the floor and the dagger embedded in the wooden wall behind it.

No one was quite sure how to respond to that, and for a few moments, none of them did anything. They watched, waiting until Hiccup regained his composure, sucking in a shaky, jagged breath and wiping furiously at his eyes.

"Then I'll leave in the morning," he said. "First light. Until then…" He looked back up at them and sighed. "You should...probably go back to your own huts and get some sleep. I'll bed down here."

Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, and the twins exchanged looks momentarily before turning their gaze back to Hiccup.

"Well," said Astrid, "in that case, Stormfly and I are sleeping here, too."

Hiccup stared at her. "But why?" he said.

"Because I don't want you to feel like you're alone," said Astrid softly.

"Yeah!" Fishlegs agreed quickly, catching on. "Meatlug and me, too! It's warmer in here then back in our huts, and Meatlug hates the cold. Besides, maybe then I could read up on Bork's notes some more."

"And," said Tuffnut, "if Barf and Belch get to sleep in here, then Ruffnut and Tuffnut get to sleep in here!" He pointed to himself and smiled.

"And of course," said Snotlout, "nothing's complete without me and Hookfang! You're not getting rid of us _that_ easily!"

Hiccup looked at them incredulously. "Thanks, guys," he said, "but you don't have to-"

"Yes we do," said Astrid. "You'd do the same for any of us."

"It's for moral support, H.," said Tuffnut. "We'll probably feel real guilty if we don't."

Hiccup looked at them, each in turn, and then, he smiled, if faintly. "Thanks," he said. "I appreciate it."

…

Astrid sat up, completely awake while the rest of the riders were sleeping. Snotlout was sleeping awkwardly on top of Hookfang with his legs hanging over the dragon's side, his helmet over his face, amplifying his snores. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were hanging upside down from above with their legs draped over the ceiling beams; Barf and Belch slept on the ground beneath them, and Meatlug and Fishlegs were sleeping across from them.

Hiccup and Toothless were, likewise, sleeping, and they looked peaceful, for the most part, Hiccup leaning against Toothless' side and Toothless' wing draped protectively over him.

Astrid sighed. She didn't know how Hiccup had managed to sleep when she hadn't. He had far much more on his mind than she did.

"Can't sleep?" Fishlegs' voice asked, breaking her from her thoughts, and Astrid nodded wordlessly. "Me neither."

"You're not the only one," said Snotlout, and he pushed his helmet off his face and looked at them, one eye open and the other shut.

"I think everyone's suffering that tonight," said Tuffnut from above them, and he and Ruffnut dropped from the ceiling, twisted as they were still falling, and landed perfectly on their feet.

"Everyone except him," said Snotlout, jabbing a finger in Hiccup's direction.

"Or is he awake," said Tuffnut, "and is eavesdropping? Someone poke him and find out."

Astrid reached over and slapped him. "Don't you dare," she said harshly.

"Alright, I won't," said Tuffnut. "I was just joking, anyways. You're not the only friend Hiccup has, you know."

There was silence for a few moments.

"This is wrong," said Fishlegs, shaking his head. "After everything Hiccup and Toothless have been through, for something like _this_ to happen…"

"Toothless is going to be fine," said Astrid. "We'll head out tomorrow, find the cure for the Vorpent venom, and get it back before it's too late."

"But what if we are too late?" said Fishlegs quietly.

Astrid looked down at the wooden floorboards, studying a knot in it for a moment. "I don't know," she said. "I don't want to think about how Hiccup would take it if...if we can't do it."

"I told you," said Ruffnut, "Hiccup and Toothless are like two sides of the same sword. If one side gets broken off, the other side's destroyed, too."

Several glares were shot in her direction, and she looked hurt. "What?" she said. "You mean _you_ guys get to talk, but I can? Stupid…"

"You're not wrong, Ruffnut," said Snotlout angrily. "And the truth hurts sometimes, doesn't it?"

Astrid looked up at Hiccup and Toothless, sleeping soundly together, as if one of them wasn't dying and the other wasn't panicked.

"We have to find the cure," said Astrid.

"Agreed," said Snotlout, and the twins nodded eagerly.

"For Toothless' and Hiccup's sakes," said Fishlegs quietly.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! :D So here's chapter 3! :D I hope you all enjoy it! :D Shout-outs:**

 **LunarCatNinja: Yeah. It is kind of pathetic...LOL. :D**

 **ShadowSpirit020: Yeah...well, I like destroying - oops, I mean, _writing_ , about these characters. :D But yeah, I really want to see an episode where Hiccup releases his anger in another way than just screaming to the wind. Like, why can't he throw something? XD Poor Toothless! :( **

**Galaxy-Mitsuko-Pegasus: Determination! :D Yay! :D And yeah, knowing me and what I've written in the past, you can guess it will be very, very suspenseful, full of fluff, and cliffhangers. :D**

 **Dimensional Girl: That is so funny, one of my close friends read the fanfiction, and she thought the exact same thing! She said, "I feel so sorry for Toothless, and now I feel really bad because I laughed at the fact that the cure was the potato." XD I know, right? Slytherins aren't all evil! My older brother is a Slytherin, and he has THE GREATEST sense of humor ever. He is very, very hilarious, and very un-Slytherin. But all the quizzes (he took about five of them to try and change his fate, LOL! :D) said otherwise, so okay. XD**

 **The Ink Splotches: My family is kind of scattered in the Sorting; my Mom is Gryffindor, my older brother is Slytherin (but not the evil Slytherin; the cunning Slytherin with a really hilarious sense of humor), and I'm Hufflepuff. I should get my entire family to take the quiz. That would be fun. :D I kind of wished I would have been sorted into Gryffindor, because I have a Gryffindor sweater, but oh well. I can be a Hufflepuff who is brave at heart! :D And you can be a Slytherin who is Hufflepuff at heart. :D**

 **Crystallion12: That just about sums it up. :D**

 **DragonQueen3721: Whoops! :D Sorry, I meant book 4. Book 3 is How to Speak Dragonese. Thanks for pointing that out! For some reason I always get the two confused. XD**

 **The Brucest Writer: Thanks! :D Yeah, I wanted to see a plot based off book 4 so badly. :D And I know about the potato easter eggs Dreamworks put in Race to the Edge; I knew someone would point it out to me, and you're not the first. XD Yeah, I was thinking about that before, but I just though, "Oh well, I'm still gonna go for it and pretend the potatoes we see in the episodes aren't actually potatoes." XD LOL! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **midnightsky0612: I'll try not to. *winks***

 **bananablight: Any reference to anything might just be on purpose. ;) Yep, I love doing it, too. :D Oh, and I just realized the author's note of the last chapter was a bit innacurate; How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse is the _forth_ book. XD Thanks for the review! :D **

**HappyPup1: THERE IS NO ESCAPING THE BOOK REFERANCES. AHHHHHH. :D**

 **Charr2003: HAHAHA *cough* My close friend who read this had the same reaction. She said that she was laughing about the potato, but she felt so bad for laughing because Toothless was poisoned and it was no laughing matter at all...basically, it was really funny. I kind of snickered a bit while writing it. XD Thanks for the review! :D I love Hiccstrid! :D**

 **Artwing7: HICCUP AND TOOTHLESS ARE SO ADORABLE OMGOSH! One thing I really want in another episode of RttE is more Hiccup and Toothless bonding. Like, maybe they can get stranded alone, and Hiccup is hurt (extra drama, see :D), and so Toothless has to save the day...yay! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **DragonRobotkid676: Oh man, if Toothless died...I don't want to think about what would happen to Hiccup...:(**

 **Jo: Lol! :D**

 **bella: Yeah, I think he was sleeping. ;)**

* * *

Astrid, Fishlegs, and Snotlout stood outside on the platform in front of the Clubhouse as the sun rose the next morning, their dragons standing at the ready in front of them. Astrid was loading Stormfly's saddlebag, taking with her her spyglass, a water canteen, and a spare knife should anything happen to her axe, which was strapped to her back.

"Did the twins get back yet with my sword?" asked Snotlout from where he was looking over the supplies he had loaded into Hookfang's saddlebag.

"You let the _twins_ get your _sword?"_ said Fishlegs. "You do realize how bad of a decision that was, don't you, Snotlout?"

"Hey, Tuffnut's my brother-in-insanity," said Snotlout, crossing his arms. "He'd never betray me."

Fishlegs sighed heavily. "They're staying here, by the way, Astrid," he said, raising his voice slightly. "It's either they stay here with Barf and Belch, or they leave and fly the Changewings, which is _not_ a good idea."

"It might be better to have some of us stay here," said Astrid shortly. "We need someone to defend the Edge, just in case the dragon hunters attack while we're gone."

"Right you are," said Fishlegs, nodding. "Have you seen Hiccup yet?"

"He was with Toothless last time I saw him," said Astrid.

…

Inside the Clubhouse, Hiccup was kneeling in front of Toothless, satchel slung around his shoulder and knife sheathed at his belt. Toothless was trying to keep his head raised long enough to look at Hiccup, but clearly, it wasn't working well for the dragon, and Hiccup kept his hands on either side of Toothless' head to help support him.

"I'll be back soon, buddy," Hiccup said. "I promise. We'll get back here in no time, and when we do, we'll have something to make you better. Alright?"

Toothless licked him weakly, and Hiccup bent over the dragon's head, shutting his eyes.

"Just...be here when we get back," Hiccup said. "Please, Toothless. I can't lose you."

Toothless nuzzled him and growled, which Hiccup took as a "you won't." Hiccup smiled sadly and, regretfully, pulled away.

"I'll be back, Toothless," he promised, and, pulling his satchel further over his shoulder, he turned and headed outside the Clubhouse, where his friends were waiting for him.

Fishlegs stepped towards him. "You ready?" he asked.

Hiccup nodded and glanced back one last time at the interior of the Clubhouse. "Fishlegs," he said, "can I ask you something?"

Fishlegs nodded. "Of course, anything."

"Would you mind staying behind and looking after Toothless for me?" Hiccup asked. "I...I don't want to leave him alone."

"Oh...of course!" said Fishlegs, looking a little taken back. "Yes, Meatlug and I will stay behind...we'll take good care of Toothless until you get back, don't worry. I'll have the twins working, getting anything we might need."

"Thank you, Fishlegs," said Hiccup, sighing in relief. "It means a lot to me."

"You're welcome," said Fishlegs. "I know you'd do the same for me if Meatlug was in Toothless' place."

Hiccup nodded. "Make sure he doesn't try to follow me," said Hiccup.

"We will," said Fishlegs.

"Astrid, can I ride Stormfly with you?"

"Sure!" Astrid called back, already preparing to mount. Hiccup turned and raced over, grabbed her outstretched hand, and let her pull him onto Stormfly's back behind her.

"And Hiccup!" Fishlegs called to them before they took air, and Hiccup looked back at him. "Hurry back," Fishlegs said, "and for Toothless' sake, be careful."

"We will be," said Hiccup.

"Oh, and here," said Fishlegs, and he pulled Bork's notebook from Meatlug's saddlebag and passed it to Hiccup. Hiccup took it and tucked it away in his satchel. "Maybe you can see if Bork left any hints as to where the ice cavern is hidden."

"Good idea, Fishlegs," said Hiccup, smiling. "Thanks."

Fishlegs nodded, silent.

Snotlout mounted Hookfang, and Stormfly and the Monstrous Nightmare spread their wings and shot into the sky, flying South. Snow covered the ground from last night's storm, and the trees appeared white with icy frost covering their branches.

Fishlegs watched the riders leave until they were out of sight, and once they were gone, he turned away. Ruffnut and Tuffnut suddenly ran onto the platform, Tuffnut carrying a sword in his grip.

"Snotlout!" Tuffnut cheered. "We got your sword!" He looked around expectantly, and then, he realized Snotlout was nowhere to be seen. "Um...where did everybody go?"

Fishlegs rolled his eyes. "You guys are hopeless," he said.

"Yeah, we know," said Tuffnut.

…

Hiccup flipped through Bork's notes, searching for anything that could hint to the ice cavern. He looked at the Venomous Vorpent page over and over again, never finding anything new, but searching anyways.

"Have you found anything yet, Hiccup?" Astrid asked, looking over her shoulder to meet his gaze.

"No, not yet," said Hiccup, still looking over the notes without success. "I was thinking, Astrid. Bork said he wanted someone to find it eventually, right?"

"Right!"

"Which means he must have left _some_ sort of clue as to where it is," said Hiccup. "It only makes sense."

"But he _did_ hide it," said Snotlout, "which means we're not going to stumble on it lying out in the open."

"Right," said Hiccup. "And he hid it in an ice cavern, didn't he? If we can find something even sort of like that, at the very least we'll have a lead to go on."

"We could start on the Snow Wraith island," said Astrid, pointing to the North. "That's the coldest place I know."

"That's a great idea, Astrid!" said Hiccup. "And Snow Wraiths are burrowing dragons. I bet there are tons of ice caverns there."

"Tally ho!" said Snotlout, pointing. "East, Hookfang!"

"The caves are North, Snotlout-"

"North, Hookfang!"

Hookfang and Stormfly rocketed forward, flying as fast and quickly as they could in the right direction. With luck, they would make it there within the hour. Without luck, two hours.

Either way, Hiccup thought it was too long a time. They only had one more day, and after that, Toothless would die.

They arrived on the cold, snowy island and dismounted their dragons, looking around. There was no high wind to hinder their search, no Snow Wraiths in sight, no doubt down below in their tunnels, sleeping.

"Alright, we're here," said Snotlout. "Now what?"

"I'm not so sure," said Hiccup, taking up Bork's notebook again. "Maybe Bork left a hint on the Snow Wraith page…" He flipped back, skimming pages, until finally, he stopped. "Here!" he said, pointing down at the page. "The Snow Wraith!"

Snotlout and Astrid looked over his shoulder, and he read out loud.

"'The Snow Wraiths burrow in the underground beneath an island full of ice,'" he read, pointing to the runes as he spoke. "The Snow Wraith is dangerous, tried to feed me to their hatchlings, blah blah blah, unimportant, unimportant…" He began to turn the page, but at the last second, he paused. "Wait…"

He turned the page back, lifted it again, and, without warning, folded the page down the middle.

"Hiccup!" Snotlout snapped. "That's a library book!"

Hiccup didn't respond. He took the page beside the folded one and folded it likewise so that it lined up with the first folded page alongside the spine of the book.

As soon as he folded the second page, Astrid and Snotlout gasped.

"Come on!" moaned Snotlout. "It's Hamish the Second's treasure hunt all over again!"

Indeed, that seemed to be their predicament. When Hiccup folded the pages to line up with each other, a hidden message was revealed, written in small, hasty runes.

"' _Feed me, and I will thrive_ ,'" Hiccup read, "' _but give me water, and I will die.'"_

There was a beat.

"Great," said Snotlout, raising his hands just to drop them back to his sides. "I nominate Hiccup to figure out what in Thor's name that actually means."

"Bork was a genius," said Hiccup, reading over the riddle in his head over and over. "This has to mean something...he wouldn't have written it in here if it didn't…"

"Bork was a dragon watcher," said Snotlout. "He was considered a total loser in his day."

"Loser in his day or not," said Astrid, "the point is, he knew what he was doing when he wrote this riddle in the book."

"Astrid's right," Hiccup said, "Bork _did_ write this in here for a reason, and we're going to figure out what that reason is. Think about it. What eats but doesn't drink? Narrow it down."

"Huh," said Astrid after a minute. "But everything has to drink water, doesn't it?"

"Not if they're _dead_ ," said Snotlout. "Ha! That's it! Maybe we're looking for a dead thing!"

"No," said Hiccup, "but you could be onto something. The riddle never said it was a living thing at all."

"I was right!" Snotlout cheered. "Dead thing!"

"No," Hiccup said.

Snotlout's smile faded. "Oh, great! Now _you're_ speaking in riddles!"

"No!" Hiccup snapped. "I mean, think about it. Okay...we've narrowed it down. Not an animal, not a human."

"Then what _is_ it?" said Astrid. "Some kind of plant?"

"But it said if you give it water it'll die," said Snotlout pointedly. "It can't be a plant."

"Not an animal, human, or plant," said Hiccup. "That narrows it down...sort of."

"Not really," said Snotlout. He let out a heavy sigh, and Hookfang copied him; a stream of fire rose into the air.

Hiccup's eyes brightened. "Fire!" he shouted so suddenly that everyone, including the dragons, jumped. "That's the answer! It's fire!"

"Right!" said Astrid, equally excited. "That makes sense! Fires don't necessarily eat, but they devour."

"And you put them out with water!" said Snotlout, catching on. "Aha, fire! I knew it! I am _brilliant!"_ He paused. "But what does that actually _mean?_ Fire? How does that help us?"

"Fire melts ice," said Hiccup, unfolding the pages of Bork's notebook and stowing it away in his satchel. "That's what it means."

"Okay," said Snotlout, "I sense a plan coming."


	4. Chapter 4

**So, hey guys! :)**

 **So, anyways, I wanted to let you all know something, that way if one day I don't post a chapter or something, you know why.**

 **Anyways, for the past two-three years I've gotten these occasional really bad headaches, and they've gotten worse to the point where I get them nearly every day. So my mom took me to the doctor's to ask about it, and so, as it turns out, I have migraines.**

 **Yeah. Migraines. They're not super bad, like, my vision doesn't go blurry or anything like that, it's just...pain. That's about all it is.**

 **Migraines are not fun, and they're kind of getting worse. I've been guzzling down coffee, because caffeine helps, but yeah. So...that's it! Stupid migraines! Anyways, here's chapter 4, and shout-outs! :D Love you all!**

 **Galaxy-Mitsuko-Pegasus: Yep. That's what I'm known for here; suspense, drama, adventure, feeelllssss (mostly feels). XD Yeah, you guys can totally predict that by now. And cliffhangers always keep the readers coming back for more. :D Thanks for the review!**

 **wikia: Yep. Action. You can see it coming. ;)**

 **ShadowSpirit020: Yeah, Fishlegs and the twins staying behind to take care of Toothless. :) Hiccup has some great friends. :) And yeah, Hiccup could've taken Eyelicker...but of course Changewings move in packs, which would mean the rest of the Changewings would want to come, too, which would be dangerous for them since they can't camouflage against the sky...haha, I'm thinking about this too much! :P Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Dimensional Girl: We'll see what happens! :D**

 **bananablight: Haha! :D Thanks! I'm glad you like it! :D Thanks for the feedback! :D**

 **bella: Hury, Hiccup, before it's too late! D: The suspense is REAL. XD And thanks! :D I'm glad you liked Tuffnut's line! :D**

 **Charr2003: Wow. You're dreaming about my fanfictions? I don't know what to say to that...LOL! :D Crazy idea! *rubs hands together* he he he...XD Thanks for the review! And I can promise there is lots of Hiccstird to come. ;)**

 **LunarCatNinja: The potato thing is hilarious. :D Treasure hunt for the potato! Yay! :D Good luck, Hiccup and company! :D**

 **HappyPup1: Mysterious and Hiccup go together. XD**

 **Angel Azul: Thanks! :D I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! :D Haha, lol, I think Spanish is an awesome language. :D I hope to be able to speak it fluently soon. :) Thanks for the review! I hope you enjoy the rest of the story! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **SnivyDragon: Hiccup's brilliant plans are brilliant. XD Yay, Hufflepuffs unite! *internet fist bump* :D**

 **StarFlight13: Aww, don't worry about it! :) Don't feel bad! :D I'm always saying, if you guys can drop a review, that's fine, but if you can't, that's also fine. It's totally cool with me. ;) Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! :D Thanks for the review! Good to hear back from ya! ;)**

* * *

The wind was howling outside; Fishlegs could hear it. Meatlug could hear it, too, by the looks of it, because she wouldn't come out from under the round table, no matter how many times Fishlegs called to her or what kind of rocks he tried to lure her out with.

Normally, he would have been frantic with worry over Meatlug, but right now, he was frantic with worry over Toothless.

Honestly, for Hiccup to take off when he did like that...of course, Fishlegs understood Hiccup's intentions, getting the cure for the Venomous Vorpent venom, but still, Fishlegs wished Hiccup was here, with Toothless. Toothless kept looking longingly at the door, and if Fishlegs hadn't been watching him constantly, he would have made a break for it and tried to follow Hiccup; Fishlegs knew it.

"I'm sorry, Toothless," Fishlegs said for the utmost time, "but you know you can't leave. Hiccup told me to keep an eye on you, and that's what I intend to do."

Toothless gave Fishlegs a pointed look, and for a moment, Fishlegs could have sworn the dragon was thinking, "Oh, really?"

But of course, Fishlegs wouldn't know. Hiccup was the expert on Toothless, not him.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut suddenly raced inside the Clubhouse; the wind was still howling outside, and snow fluttered onto the floorboards. Fishlegs sprang from his seat when Ruffnut and Tuffnut shut the door, carrying a bucket between them.

"What are you two _doing?"_ Fishlegs snapped. "I told you, you're not supposed to open the doors! It's freezing out there!"

"We know that," said Ruffnut, dumping snow off her helmet and onto the floor; Tuffnut turned and dumped the snow on his helmet onto Ruffnut. "But we had to get this!"

They set the bucket on the ground, and Fishlegs moved forward to investigate.

"Snow?" he said. "Seriously? Why would you drag a bucket of snow in here?"

"We thought we could try and cheer Toothless up!" said Ruffnut. "We could build a snowman!"

Toothless growled at them, which could have meant anything (Fishlegs was no expert), but Fishlegs was still certain it meant the dragon was not interested.

"Come on, T.!" said Tuffnut. "Just until Hiccup gets back!"

Toothless wasn't having it. He tucked his head beneath his wing and coiled his tail around himself. Fishlegs sighed.

"Oh, okay," said Tuffnut, "so, no building snowmen...oh, wait, Toothless! This'll be really entertaining!"

Toothless lifted his wing and narrowed his eyes at them.

"Okay!" said Tuffnut. "Watch!" He picked up the entire bucket of snow and dumped it over Ruffnut's head.

"HEY!" Ruffnut screeched, and she tackled Tuffnut. The bucket hit the ground with a clatter, and Ruffnut and Tuffnut soon hit the ground with a _THUMP!_ Fishlegs groaned loudly; Toothless pulled his wing back over his head.

The door of the Clubhouse opened again, and Ruffnut and Tuffnut froze in mid-fight. Fishlegs jerked his head up towards the door, looking at who had entered.

"Gobber!?" he blurted.

Gobber slammed the door behind him and brushed snow off his shoulders. "Now _that_ ," he said, "is hard weather to sail through."

Fishlegs stood and made his way over quickly; Ruffnut and Tuffnut continued their brawl. "What are you doing here?" Fishlegs said, dumbfounded. "In this weather? You _sailed_ through _this_ weather?"

"Eh, well, I tried," said Gobber. "Took me longer to get here than I intended. Stoick sent me to come fetch you lot, but I doubt flying dragons is a good idea with those winds."

Fishlegs thought for a moment, and then, he slapped his forehead. "Right," he said. "The Outcasts are supposed to be on Berk renewing the peace treaty."

"Aye," said Gobber. "They got there before the storm hit. Actually, I left Berk before the storm hit. Should've waited a few extra days…"

He looked behind Fishlegs, expecting to see the other riders, and frowned when he saw Toothless alone. "Where're the others?" he asked.

"Present!" said Tuffnut, raising his hand from where he was pinned beneath Ruffnut on the floor.

"I meant the ones who _aren't_ present," said Gobber.

"Oh," said Fishlegs. "Well…"

Gobber waited for him to finish, and when he didn't, he glanced back towards the door, and then back at Fishlegs.

"Don't tell me they're out _there_ ," Gobber said.

Fishlegs winced. "Um…I can explain."

…

"And you let them leave in this storm?" Gobber said once Fishlegs had finished explaining.

"The storm wasn't bad when they left," said Fishlegs pointedly, "and even if it had been, Hiccup was determined! I don't think I've ever seen him like that before."

"Hiccup determined?" said Gobber.

"No," said Fishlegs. "He was just...not himself at all."

Gobber nodded. "Aye," he said. "You can't really blame him, Fishlegs. Hiccup's been my apprentice since he was five years old, and more than once, he told me how badly he wanted a best friend like everyone else. Toothless became that best friend. Hiccup's first friend, actually."

"I know," said Fishlegs. "I just...hope they get back soon with the cure. And I hope they don't get stranded in the storm."

Gobber nodded slowly. "Let's hope so," he said.

…

"Look, Hiccup!" Snotlout called frankly. "When I said I thought you had a plan, I didn't think you meant _this!"_

He was standing atop a mound of ice directly in front of the opening tunnel that led to the Snow Wraiths' lairs underground. Hiccup and Astrid were crouched behind another chunk of ice nearby.

"You're doing great!" Astrid called, cupping her hands around her mouth.

"But do I have to be _bait?"_ said Snotlout. "Why can't Hiccup do it? This isn't fair!"

"Look, Snotlout," said Hiccup, "while the Snow Wraiths are distracted by you, Astrid, Stormfly, Hookfang and I will go down their tunnel. After that, you can jump down yourself, and Hookfang and Stormfly will temporarily seal the tunnel off while we're down there."

"But are you sure this is going to work?" said Snotlout. "I'm too young to die!"

"In theory everything should be fine," said Hiccup.

"IN THEORY!?" shrieked Snotlout.

"SHH!" Hiccup and Astrid said in unison, and Snotlout, whimpering, didn't say anything else. Hiccup nodded to Hookfang, who instantly breathed a small bout of fire over the entrance of the tunnel. After that, all there was left to do was wait.

They waited for the right moment…

And then…

There was an ear-splitting roar, and the three Snow Wraiths that inhabited the underground caves raced to the surface, their eyes scanning their surroundings for body heat.

"Do your thing, Snotlout!" Hiccup whispered harshly.

"If we survive this, Hiccup," growled Snotlout, "I'm going to kill you…" He looked up at the Snow Wraiths and jumped up and down, waving his hands back and forth over his head. "Hey, hey, hey, stupids!" he taunted. "If you're as smart as you are stupid, then you're a genius!"

The dragons turned to each other, clearly trying to figure out what that meant, while Astrid, Stormfly, Hiccup, and Hookfang snuck behind them and leapt into the tunnel.

Snotlout took that as his cue to run, and he bolted. The dragons zeroed down and charged after him.

"Come on, Snotlout!" Hiccup shouted. "Hurry!"

"HURRY!?" Snotlout yelled, sliding out of the way of a Snow Wraith, narrowly avoiding getting his leg bitten off. "YOU THINK I'M NOT ALREADY HURRYING!?"

But Snotlout did run faster after that, and he leapt straight down the tunnel.

"Now!" Hiccup shouted, and Hookfang and Stormfly instantly got to work, breathing fire onto the nearby ice and melting it until it covered the mouth of the tunnel. The freezing ice that surrounded it brought the water back to freezing temperature; within a minute, the mouth of the tunnel had been sealed off.

"There," Hiccup panted. "That should hold the Snow Wraiths off for a few hours. Hookfang and Snotlout, you two can stay here and keep guard."

"What!?" yelled Snotlout, crossing his arms. "You're pitching me against the Snow Wraiths again? No way!"

"Would you rather go back to being bait?" Astrid asked challengingly.

"I would _rather_ ," said Snotlout angrily, "life to see my next birthday."

Astrid and Hiccup glared at him, and finally, Snotlout faltered. "Fine!" he snapped. "But if I die, my death is on your head!"

"That's debatable," said Hiccup. "Stormfly, you're with me and Astrid."

Stormfly chirped happily and bounded towards them, eager to help. Astrid and Hiccup turned and made their way down the steep tunnel, doing their best not to slip on the ice as they went.

The terrain was familiar, but still so different. New tunnels branched off in all different directions, and Hiccup wasn't sure where to turn first.

He thought back to Bork's riddle and took out the notebook again, walking with his head down, eyes scanning the riddle over and over again.

"Hiccup, look," said Astrid, and Hiccup's head snapped up once more. Astrid was pointing to something buried in the ice; a small blur of black that was impossible to identify.

"Stormfly," Hiccup said, "melt the ice. Careful."

Stormfly nodded and breathed fire onto the ice encasing the blur, and when the ice melted, Hiccup reached his hand in, closed his fingers around it, and pulled out a long, forearm-length dagger with a black hilt and an oddly sharp blade.

Hiccup handed it to Astrid, who took it, testing its weight. "What do you think this means, Hiccup?" she asked.

"Bork mentioned being attacked," said Hiccup, "as he was escaping. He must have implanted this dagger here as a clue to show us we're going in the right direction."

"Hang on," said Astrid, examining the hilt. "There's something written here...it's hard to make out…"

"Let me see," Hiccup said, and when Astrid handed it over, Hiccup held the dagger up to the light and squinted.

"It says, 'Hysteric Tribe,'" Hiccup read. "Hold this." He handed back the dagger and took up Bork's notebook, flipping through it frantically. "Here, found it!" he announced. "The Hysteric Tribe."

Astrid leaned over and frowned. "There's hardly anything written on here," she said. "Try folding back the pages again."

Hiccup did just that, and when he did, there wasn't just one riddle; there was an entire page full of runes.

Hiccup took in a deep breath and read.

" _If you've come this far,"_ Hiccup said, _"then the end is near. I implanted the dagger in the wall of this ice cavern in hopes someone would discover the true location of the potato. The potato comes from the Land-That-Does-Not-Exist, but as the potato proves, it does exist. After I was attacked, I came to this ice cavern, implanted the dagger, and hid the potato within the walls._

" _Take heed, courageous warrior, for the Doomfang dragon lurks in the shadows, awaiting one who seeks to take the potato. If you can make it past him, consider the potato yours._

"And there's a riddle," Hiccup said. "Thor, why is it always riddles… _'The flowers turn to the warmth of the sun,'"_ he read. _"'Turn the same way: your search has begun.'"_

Hiccup looked up at Astrid, shutting the book. "The sun rises in the East," said Astrid, pointing in the branching tunnel leading in said direction. "That must be what Bork meant. He wants us to head East."

"Right," Hiccup said, stowing the notebook in his satchel. "Come on, let's go."


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! So here's chapter 5...and yeah, unfortunately I'm not going to be able to do shout-outs this chapter, which makes me sad, because I love you guys so much and you all mean a lot to me, but I'm going to try and look at the computer screen as little as possible today and see if that doesn't help my migraines.**

 **So I'm sorry, guys. :( But I love all of you so much and thank you SO SO SO SO SO SO SO much for all your continued support and reviews! It means a whole lot to me! :D So, even though I'm going to try and not look at the computer screen very much, I _am_ going to try and post again, maybe later on in the afternoon or tonight. I've trained myself to type without looking at the computer screen, so writing the next chapter shouldn't be that difficult; I'm already about half-way through it, anyways. ;) **

**So, I love you all! :D Thanks for everything! Enjoy chapter 5! :D (Sorry for advance in the cliffhanger, LOL! :D)**

 **( UPDATE):** **Okay, I got confused and actually posted the same chapter twice. SO THERE IS NO CHAPTER 6 YET, GUYS, I'M SORRY. :( Kinda sad, over a year of doing fanfiction and I screw up like _that_...XD**

* * *

Hiccup and Astrid headed through the East tunnel as quickly as they dared. When the tunnel branched off in different directions, Astrid carved small Xs into the ice beside them to keep track of where they had gone.

"We have to be getting close," Hiccup said, slightly desperate, because they hadn't found anything yet and if they didn't find anything _soon_ , they would run out of time, and there wouldn't be a Toothless to return to. "We have to be."

They went deeper and deeper into the cave, further and further downwards. The tunnel became more and more narrow, until they were practically squeezing themselves between a rock and a hard place, trying with all their might to get through. Stormfly had waited outside; there was no way she would be able to fit through when Astrid and Hiccup hardly could.

Finally, just when Hiccup thought they had gotten nowhere and had wasted all this time for no reason, he saw a light at the end of the tunnel - literally. "There!" Hiccup said excitedly. "I can see the end!"

"Good!" Astrid called back. "Now we just have to...get to it…"

Three minutes of frantic squeezing later, and Hiccup and Astrid tumbled into a clearing. The floor was a clear blue, made entirely out of ice, and a domed ceiling of the same likings was stretched over their heads. The clearing was ginormous; bigger than the Great Hall back on Berk.

Astrid gaped at it in shock. "How did we miss this the first time around?" she asked quietly.

"We weren't looking for it the first time we were here," said Hiccup, also looking around. This must have been it. This was where Bork had hidden the potato.

But where was it?

And then, he saw it; encased behind another, thinner layer of blue ice. Astrid saw it at the same moment he did, and she pointed forward.

"It _does_ exist," Hiccup said, blinking away his surprise and, more importantly, insane _relief_. He could see the outline of a dagger - the dagger that had been thrown at Bork all those many, many years ago - embedded straight into the potato, unmoved and untouched since the potato had saved Bork's life.

Hiccup took one step forward.

Astrid grabbed his forearm and held him back. She said nothing; she simply jerked her head towards the ground urgently.

Hiccup looked, and he realized what she had seen. A dark, blurry shape was moving in unfrozen water beneath the layer of ice that formed the floor. Every now and then, it would stop, come closer to the ice, and then shrink back into the depths of the water.

Hiccup swallowed. "That must be the Doomfang," he said, and, as quick as a flash, pulled Bork's notebook from his satchel and flicked through it. "I don't see anything on it yet…wait, here it is." He stopped flipping through the pages and focused on the page in which was drawn a solid black dragon with long, saber-tooth fangs.

"The Doomfang," said Astrid. "It says it's hostile to vikings and extremely deadly."

"What I'm wondering," said Hiccup, "is how Bork managed to keep the Doomfang here. By the looks of what he wrote in his notebook, the Doomfang is an insanely lethal dragon, and Bork was no dragon trainer."

Hiccup, suddenly curious, folded the two pages together and looked at the new words formed on the page.

"It says," Hiccup read, " _The Doomfang guarding the potato has been poisoned by the Venomous Vorpent, but I was hindered in my desire to give the dragon the antidote, for I feared what would happen should the dragon be allergic. The dragon, out of what I believed to be his free will, now guards the potato. He either guards it, or he is waiting for the right opportunity to snatch it._

" _Due to the dragon's own poison, the Venomous Vorpent's venom is not lethal; however, I do not know whether or not the dragon suffers its effects._

" _Be warned. The ice is thin. If the Doomfang does not crack it, you certainly could."_

Hiccup looked all the way across the large clearing at the potato, and he sighed. "This," he said, "is not going to be easy." He turned to Astrid in question. "Which of the two of us is lighter?" he asked.

"I...I don't know," said Astrid, "but Hiccup, this is dangerous. We should go back and get Stormfly-"

"Stormfly can't fit through the tunnel, Astrid, you know that," said Hiccup. "Alright, if we don't know who logically should go, I'll go."

"Hiccup, no," Astrid said, "let me go-"

"No," Hiccup said firmly. "I could lose Toothless. I couldn't bear the thought of losing you and him so close together. You both mean... _everything_ to me."

Astrid's eyes softened, but she didn't look particularly reassured. She held out her hand. "At least let me hold the notebook," she said. "The lighter you travel the better."

Hiccup nodded, pulled Bork's notebook out of the satchel, and handed it over. Once Astrid had it in her hands, he took in a breath and, as lightly as he could, stepped forward, onto the impossibly thin ice.

The ice was much thinner than he could have ever feared. The instant his good foot stepped down, he heard a small crack, and although the ice didn't give way, it still filled him with dread.

Behind him, Astrid had her fist up to her mouth, silently gnawing on her knuckle, too filled with adrenaline-like fear to speak.

The Doomfang hovered under the ice beneath Hiccup's feet, but Hiccup did his best to ignore it. He took another step forward. The ice crackled, threatening to collapse, but it didn't, and for that, Hiccup was thankful.

He took another step forward.

The ice crackled.

The black blur followed him in the water beneath the ice.

Another step.

Another small crack.

Another blur following him like an upside down ominous rain cloud.

He took another step.

It continued like this for far longer than he could have ever hoped, but finally, as he took his fifteenth (or it could have been thirtieth; he really didn't care) step, the ice didn't bend slightly beneath his weight or crack like an empty threat. Instead, he found himself standing on the opposite side of the clearing, back on solid ice.

"Yes!" he cheered, moving his false foot off the thin ice to join his real one. Astrid, beaming, gave him a thumbs-up from the other side of the ice cavern.

"But Hiccup," said Astrid, "this doesn't mean you shouldn't _be careful!_ Because for Thor's sake, _be careful!_ You don't know what kind of boobytrap Bork could have fixed up!"

Hiccup wasn't exactly listening. He was too busy pulling his knife out of his satchel and beginning the seemingly endless task of chiseling the potato out of its ice encasement.

He could hear the Doomfang moving in the water beneath them, but he honestly couldn't have cared less what that dragon did as long as he got the potato back to Dragon's Edge and to Toothless. It was his last chance at saving his best friend, and he was going to risk anything for it.

He stabbed the knife and twisted it in the ice; a large chunk gave way, and Hiccup dug it out. This continued on until finally, he reached his goal.

He dropped the knife and closed his fist around the potato, being careful not to cut himself on the dagger already embedded in it.

They had done it.

Somehow, they had done it.

"I got it!" he called to Astrid, who did a celebratory fist-pump. The first thing Hiccup did when he had the potato in his hands was pull the dagger out of it; it was hard, as the potato had been frozen for Thor only knows how many years, but after he managed it, he stuffed the dagger in his satchel and was about to do the same with the cure.

But he heard a cracking sound again, and froze, quite involuntarily.

The cracking was louder than it had been before, when Hiccup had walked across the thin ice leading to the opposite side of the cavern.

He looked down at the ice.

The ice _was_ cracking now; and it was cracking rapidly from a large circle of smaller cracks branching out like a spider web in all directions.

The Doomfang was trying to break his way out from below.

Astrid's action was instantaneous. "Hiccup, run!" she shouted.

As if Hiccup really needed prompting on _that_. He took off as fast as he dared, running as far away from the large, growing cracks in the center of the cavern as he could. He had nearly made it to the other side when the Doomfang broke out of the ice.

The dragon was huge. Ginormous. Not as big as it could have been, but still, it was a good sized dragon. Two to three times the size of a Monstrous Nightmare and as black as the sky at night, with long, curved fangs like giant tusks curving from a nasty overbite that showed off pearly white teeth.

The dragon's build said fight, but its eyes were sad, almost longing, though Hiccup still had yet to discover exactly why.

The Doomfang locked eyes on them.

"Astrid, run!" Hiccup shouted, and he turned to follow her.

But as luck would have it, at the last minute, the ice beneath Hiccup suddenly became unstable, and he lost his balance.

It all happened so quickly.

One moment, they had been running, and everything had looked as though it would turn out alright in the end.

The next moment, Hiccup had tripped, and the potato had somehow flown from his grip.

The Doomfang swooped beneath it and opened his mouth.

The dragon's monstrous jaws closed around the precious cure.

And just like that, the tides turned.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi, all! :D So that's right! I'm updating a second time today! :D I hope you all enjoy this chapter...and I apologize in advance for the cliffhanger...oh man you guys are going to hate me...*bites nails***

 **But anyways, I have an ANNOUNCEMENT (oh boy...)**

 **So, I've been receiving a few questions (via. PM and Reviews) as to how I'm going to end the series, and if I'm going to change anything major that would place this completely out of the canon plot of Race to the Edge.**

 **AND HERE IS THE ANSWER:**

 **NO.**

 **"Race to the Edge Season 2b" (my fanfiction "season") is geared to end similarly to the way Race to the Edge Season 2 ended, so that this fanfiction "season" won't drift from canon too much.**

 **So, yes. It's like a miniature season taking place between seasons 1 and 2 of RttE. I hope that answers all of your questions! :D Shout-outs:**

 **TomBoyBookGirl: Haha, thanks! :D Yeah, I really want a RttE episode completely inspired by the books in the future (like the episode plays along nearly if not exactly how it did in the books), so I'm glad you like it so far! :D Book fans unite! *fist bump* XD**

 **Galaxy-Mitsuko-Pegasus: Yeah, I don't think anyone was fully prepared for that cliffhanger, even though I warned you all. ;)**

 **ShadowSpirit020: Yeah, I just totally did that...I evil. :/**

 **Guest (#1): Thanks! :D**

 **wikelia: I did warn you there was a cliffhanger! XD But I don't think it helped either way...yeah, I totally just did that...sorry, Toothless...:(**

 **HappyPup1: Yeah, I just did that...sorry.**

 **LunarCatNinja: It is (or, um, was) the cure, after all. I think everyone felt sort of fixated on the potato. :)**

 **bella: Cliffhanger! XD I warned everyone at the beginning of the chapter. ;) And thanks! Yeah, the migraines are a nuisance, but I haven't one today, so that's good. :)**

 **Forever Me: Thanks! :D I'm glad you like this episode, and the previous episodes, too! :D Yeah, I'm evil, of course, but I don't know if I'll kill off Toothless just yet...yeah, it'd be horrible to kill him off. I don't know if I would have the heart. XD Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Iris Patton: It's fine! Don't worry about not reviewing. Life is crazy sometimes. ;) And thanks! Yeah, the migraines are bad, but usually I can sleep them off or caffeine them away with coffee. :) Awwww, thank you so much! :D I'm glad you like my stories so much! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Charr2003: Umm...yeah...I just did that...there's an outrage! Everyone's upset because of what I did in that last chapter's ending...yeah...sorry, Toothy. :( Let's see what happens! I did promise Hiccstrid, after all, and there'll be a lot more to come in the last few chapters! :D Thanks for the review!**

 **Dimentional Phaser: I accidentally posted the same chapter twice. There is no chapter 6 (well, there is now, but there wasn't when you reviewed :D). Sorry about that. Yeah, I explained that in an author's note on Chapter 5 when I realized my mistake. :D**

 **SnivyDragon: GET. THE. PO. TA. TO. RIGHT. NOW. GANG. Let's see how this all ends up! :D *fist bumps* Hufflepuffs unite! :D :D :D**

 **HTTYD Lover: Good question! A brilliant question, actually. :) The Dragon Eye will return, as I mentioned in "The Trainer and the Hunter", but I will not be bringing in any brand new never-before-seen information about the Dragon Eye, unfortunately. I'm going to leave that part to Dreamworks. ;) This series of fanfiction episodes (I've called it "Race to the Edge Season 2b") is geared to end similarly to the way season 2 ended, so that season 3 can pick up where it left off. :) Thanks for the question! :D**

* * *

"NO!" Hiccup shouted, staring in horror. No...that couldn't have just happened. That _DID NOT_ just happen. He wasn't going to believe that what he had seen was reality. It was a trick of the light...it had to be, it had to be...no...it couldn't be over, it couldn't be, it couldn't be, it couldn't, it couldn't, he refused to believe it…

The Doomfang swallowed, and its eyes went from being sad and droopy to suddenly perky. It turned and bowed its head at Hiccup and Astrid respectfully - Hiccup, who was on his knees, hands braced against the ground, and Astrid, who, like Hiccup, seemed unable to grasp reality.

And then, just like that, the Doomfang turned and dove beneath the water once again, no doubt heading to the ocean, where it would live out the rest of his life, happy and carefree and definitely not infected with Venomous Vorpent venom.

Unlike someone else Hiccup knew.

For the longest moment, neither Hiccup nor Astrid did anything. Hiccup felt hot, salty tears of loss and desperation run down his face, and he made no move to stop them. He didn't have the heart.

It was as though the world had ended.

It might as well have ended for Hiccup.

It was over.

 _OVER._

Astrid's hand found his shoulder, and Hiccup stiffened. Only then did he try to maintain some kind of control over his tears, and even then, he did little to stop them.

"Hiccup, we have to go," said Astrid. "I'm...I'm sorry."

I'm sorry didn't even _begin_ to tell the story of how _Hiccup_ felt. Hiccup felt as though he had been stabbed in the gut.

Toothless was going to die. Soon. It was night right now, which meant that by noon the next day, there would be no more Night Furies; Hiccup's best friend would be dead.

And there was no way around it.

"We have to look for something else," Hiccup finally managed to choke out, his voice thick. "There has to be some other cure, something that can save Toothless…"

His voice broke.

He couldn't do this.

"There's nothing we can do, Hiccup," Astrid said heavily. "We have to go back. We only have a few hours before…"

She didn't need to finish her sentence; the silence was louder than any word she could have said, or shouted, or screamed.

The silence was deafening.

Because silence was the thing heard from the losing side. Victors cheered; those who had suffered a loss did not.

Which was why the silence spoke more than anything Astrid could have said, anything Hiccup could have added.

The silence meant they had failed.

As Hiccup already knew they had.

He stood, and together, he and Astrid squeezed themselves back through the narrow tunnel. Hiccup said nothing, his brain too clogged by depressed fug to think clearly. When they made it out of the narrow tunnel, Astrid following the Xs she had carved on the wall, they headed up the steep, icy slope, towards the front of the caves once again.

They met up with Stormfly somewhere in between, and Snotlout and Hookfang were still waiting patiently by the door. Snotlout looked up eagerly when they approached, his face splitting into a grin.

"Guys!" he shouted, racing towards them. "We were wondering when you would show! What happened? Did you get it?"

He caught sight of Hiccup and Astrid's expressions and froze. His smile wavered.

"Tell me you got it," he said, and this time, he was, oddly enough, pleading.

Hiccup swallowed thickly. Hearing it a second time made the realization even worse. Astrid shook her head.

Snotlout's smile vanished. "No," he said. "But...but we were so close! We almost did it, we almost got it! We almost had it…"

Keyword: almost.

They _almost_ got the cure.

They _almost_ saved Toothless' life.

But the truth of the matter was that they _didn't_.

Which meant that any use whatsoever of the word "almost" was entirely unnecessary, because no amount of almosts or wishful thinkings could change what had happened.

Hiccup knew this.

He _feared_ this.

Snotlout looked up at the ice sealing the cave shut and raised a hand to it. "Um...Hookfang and I will lure the Snow Wraiths away and meet up with you guys in the sky."

Astrid nodded. "Thanks, Snotlout," she said.

Hookfang and Stormfly melted the ice, Astrid and Hiccup mounted Stormfly, and they shot into the air. Meanwhile, Snotlout mounted his own dragon and shot after the Snow Wraiths, taunting them long enough for Astrid, Hiccup, and Stormfly to begin the course back to Dragon's Edge.

He met up with them shortly, but Hiccup could barely bring himself to care. It was too late. Morning had dawned. They had no cure.

No cure.

No hope.

Gone.

Just like that.

But now that it was gone, Hiccup's only true focus was to get back to Dragon's Edge as fast as he possibly could. He didn't care about anything else. Astrid was pushing Stormfly as fast as she would go, and Snotlout was fighting to catch up.

They soared over the ocean as the sun rose higher in the sky. Soon, the sun was swallowed up by thick clouds, and a heavy wind began to blow, but Stormfly's wings pounded on towards their destination. She must have sensed the urgency of the situation.

The wind picked up. Snow flurried around them like miniature tornadoes. The dragons flew on, soared on, faster and faster than ever, until finally, the outline of Dragon's Edge could be seen in the horizon, and the dragons flew faster than they had ever flown before.

Stormfly and Hookfang touched down on the platform, and Hiccup, Astrid, and Fishlegs dismounted. Hiccup raced for the door.

Fishlegs was standing outside, and he turned quickly when he saw the dragons land. "Hiccup!" he called, hurrying forward. "Wait, Hiccup, there's something I need to tell you-"

Hiccup ignored him. He ran faster than he had ever run before and threw open the doors, Astrid and Snotlout right on his tail.

Hiccup froze. Toothless was unmoving, eyes shut. From where they were, Hiccup couldn't see him breathing.

Hiccup's heart stopped. The blood drained from his face.

"No," Hiccup whispered.

But then, suddenly, it seemed a miracle happened, because at the sound of Hiccup's voice, Toothless' ears perked, and the dragon bounced up, eyes focused and happy. He growled excitedly when he saw Hiccup, looking very perky and happy…

And _not_ dying.

"What…?" Hiccup whispered in shock, hardly daring himself to hope. "Toothless?"

Toothless growled at him happily.

And that said it all.

"TOOTHLESS!" Hiccup shouted, and he threw himself at the dragon, wrapping his arms tightly around Toothless' neck and never wanting to let go. Toothless was alright; somehow, he was alright. Hiccup didn't know how.

But he didn't care about that, either. He felt tears sting his eyes, and one rolled down his cheek for an entirely different reason than before.

Toothless was alive.

It was going to be okay after all.

"What in the name of Thor?" Snotlout said in shock. "He's supposed to be...well, you know, dying!"

"Well…" Fishlegs said nervously, twiddling his fingers. "There is a slight chance I diagnosed Toothless wrong."

"WHAT!?" blurted Snotlout.

"As it turns out," said Gobber from across the room, stepping into the light, "Toothless had a cold. Nothing serious. Very common for dragons in this kind of weather."

"Are you telling me," said Snotlout slowly, "Astrid, Hiccup and I went out in the freezing cold weather, fought Snow Wraiths, found the clues that led us to the cure, for _nothing!?"_

"It was an honest mistake, Snotlout," said Fishlegs, shaking his head. "Anyone could have made it."

"We could have died!" snapped Snotlout. "And more importantly, _I_ could have died, and all for some stupid, useless quest! For nothing!"

"Well, on the bright side," piped up Tuffnut, who was standing beside Ruffnut next to Gobber, "you would've had a good funeral."

"Snotlout!" Hiccup reprimanded, but he was laughing now, because he couldn't believe they had succeeded without actually having to succeed. "Why give Fishlegs a hard time when all's well that ends well? We didn't die, and everything's okay."

It certainly looked that way.

Hiccup finally stood up, and Toothless stood beside him, watching him eagerly. Hiccup figured the dragon was as happy to have his rider back as Hiccup was happy to have his dragon back.

He was about to thank Fishlegs for all his help, but then, something odd happened.

Funny how the tides can turn, turn, and then turn again, isn't it?

An unexplainable wave of dizziness swept through Hiccup's head, and he raised his hand to clutch his temple with a quiet moan. All eyes were instantly on him.

"Hiccup…?" Astrid said. "You alright?"

"Yeah, fine," Hiccup lied through his teeth. "Just give me a minute…" But the dizziness got worse, and this time, he stumbled backwards, just managing to catch himself on the edge of the table before he fell to the ground.

He really shouldn't have bothered with catching himself, in the end. "What…?" he whispered, and then, he crumpled to the ground anyway.

"HICCUP!" the others shouted in unison.

* * *

 **OKAY GUYS, I HAVE A QUESTION, SO LISTEN UP (Please? :D)**

 **ALRIGHT! I've been thinking about this fanfiction season of Race to the Edge, right? And I'm kind of wondering...**

 **DO YOU GUYS THINK I SHOULD WRITE 13 FANFICTION EPISODES WHENEVER ANOTHER RACE TO THE EDGE SEASON COMES OUT?** **Like, this fanfiction series is called "Race to the Edge Season 2b", and if I create another fanfiction series of "episodes" after season 3, I'd call it "Race to the Edge Season 3b."**

 **So, let me know what you think! :D**

 **Oh, and also: I put up a poll on my profile where you guys can let me know which episode in this fanfiction series is your favorite, so if you could go on over there and let me know, that'd be great! :D It'll help me decide what you guys like seeing the most and make my future fanfictions even better.**

 **Thank you all! :D Sorry about the cliffhanger...XD**


	7. Chapter 7

**THREE.**

 **I MADE THREE UPDATES TODAY.  
**

 **I AM HAPPY NOW. XD ONE MORE CHAPTER TO GO AFTER THIS AND I CAN START POSTING "CROSS MY WINGS AND HOPE TO FLY PART 1"! :D :D :D**

 **Shout-outs:**

 **midnightsky0612: Yep. Nothing good yet. :(**

 **SnivyDragon: Yeah, DON'T DIE, HICCUP! EVERYONE LOVES YOU! D: And I think I will do another "b" season. I think I'd have a lot of fun doing it. ;)**

 **Artwing7: Very bad predicament. :D And yeah, making an account on here is totally free (which is super duper awesome! :D). You should totally get one! They're a lot of fun! :D**

 **Guest (#1): I think I will! :D**

 **Prince Maggie: Thanks a bunch! :D Yeah, I like writing these fanfiction "episodes." :D I'll definitely write more in the RttE timeline. :D Thanks for the review, awesome Gryffindor! :D**

 **Guest (#2): But if you kill me, you won't find out what happens to Hiccup! So don't kill me! XD**

 **Guest (#3): As much as I'm looking forward to writing about Hiccup and Tuffnut trapped together, I don't think I'm going to write Winter's Gale right after this one. I already have the episodes coming after this one planned out, and there might be some information in those that has to be seen before Winter's Gale. :D**

 **Dimensional Girl: Haha, LOL! Nope, not related to Rick Riorden. But I do love cliffhangers, so we both have that in common. XD Your nasty feeling might just prove true, unfortunately...and yeah, I think I will write a RttE season 3b. :D**

 **The Ink Splotches: I think I'm going to do it. :) I need some entertainment through the hiatus, too, and hearing your guys' thoughts on my fanfictions is amazing. :D It would be a fun challenge, see if I can get 13 episodes posted before the next 13 episodes of RttE come out...I'm going to try and finish season 2b before season 3 comes on Netflix. Here's hoping! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Angel Azul: Yeah, that cliffhanger was evil of me. Sorry about that. :( But I'm glad you're still enjoying the chapters! :D Thanks! :D**

 **DragonRobotkid676: I think I'm definitely going to do another 13 fanfiction episodes. :D And I think we actually have quite a few more seasons of RttE coming out...I'm pretty sure we're going to get a total of 52 episodes of RttE, which would mean...about two or three more seasons to look forward to! :D :D :D I am really excited about more seasons! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

* * *

They had moved Hiccup to the only bed in the Clubhouse; it was a spare one, one they used when friends from Berk or otherwise visited. He was conscious, but dizzy to the point where if he so much as lifted his head, he felt sick. Astrid knelt beside him and pressed her hand firmly against his forehead.

"He's burning up!" she called.

"What just happened?" Snotlout said dumbly as Fishlegs and Gobber hurried forward. "What in Thor's name just happened?"

"Get me something for his fever!" Astrid snapped at the twins, and Ruffnut and Tuffnut turned and raced out the door, carrying a bucket between them without bickering. Fishlegs, meanwhile, put two of his fingers in front of Hiccup's eyes.

"Hiccup, how many fingers do you see?"

"Erm...eight…?" Hiccup said dazedly, raising his hand. "Hard to tell…"

Fishlegs paled. "This isn't good," he said. "This isn't good…"

"What?" said Astrid in a tone that didn't leave room for argument. "What isn't good?"

Fishlegs put his fingers together nervously. "There was...something I was going to tell you," he said, "but I was going to tell you all later, when it wouldn't panic anyone…"

"What?" Astrid snapped. "Speak up, Fishlegs, NOW!"

"The Venomous Vorpent can only sting once in its lifetime," said Fishlegs. "Its stinger is small and red at the end of its tail, like an arrowhead, but once it stings, the stinger falls off."

He pointed at the Venomous Vorpent dragon on the table. "This Vorpent," he said, "doesn't have a stinger."

"What does that have to do with why Hiccup's suddenly so sick?" Astrid demanded, but by the slightly wavering tone of her voice told Fishlegs that she already knew the answer.

Fishlegs swallowed. "Hiccup was stung by the Venomous Vorpent," he said.

Astrid paled. "No," she said. "You're wrong, Fishlegs. You diagnosed him wrong, like you did Toothless. You said it was an honest mistake, anyone could make one-"

"The biggest symptom of the Vorpent venom is a high fever," said Fishlegs, "which Toothless didn't have."

Toothless nudged his head beneath Hiccup's arm and nuzzled his rider's side. Hiccup stroked Toothless' head weakly.

"Astrid, Hiccup has all the symptoms," said Fishlegs.

"What does that mean?" said Snotlout lamely.

"It means," said Gobber, whacking the back of Snotlout's head with his hand, "that Hiccup only has approximately five minutes to live." But he said it lightheartedly; it didn't seem to be bothering him. "Of course," said Gobber, "this _would_ be a problem, if it hadn't been for Hiccup's so called 'stupid, useless quest'. So, Astrid, where's the cure?"

Astrid went white. "We...we didn't get it," she whispered, and the shock of it seemed to be finally setting in.

Gobber's lighthearted attitude flew off like a migrating bird. "What?" he said.

"We got something!" Ruffnut and Tuffnut shouted, bursting through the door of the Clubhouse, a bucket dragged in their grip. They dropped the bucket of water on the floor beside the bed, and Astrid soaked a rag in it and pressed it against Hiccup's forehead.

"We didn't get it," Astrid repeated, more quietly than the first time. "We don't have the cure."

The silence hung again, just as it had done when the Doomfang's jaws closed around the potato.

Gobber faltered. "But...when Fishlegs told me you'd gone after it," he said, "I was so sure...I was so sure you would've gotten it."

"Oh, we _got it_ alright," said Snotlout. "It's just that Bork's stupid Guardian Dragon _ate_ it."

The silence was deafening.

They had no cure.

"There has to be something!" Fishlegs cried. "Another cure of some sort, there has to be! Maybe we can extract some Vorpent venom and use that as an antidote! It works with snakes!"

"But Vorpent Venom comes from their stinger," said Snotlout, "not from their fangs. And obviously we don't have the stinger."

"Then what's the alternative!?" Astrid demanded, angry because she was scared. "I won't watch him die!"

"I'm sorry," said Gobber.

Yes, the tides had turned.

And definitely not for the better.

Astrid took Hiccup's limp hand and pulled at the charm of her necklace, which she had worn since the day Hiccup gave it to her. She closed Hiccup's fingers around the charm and held his hand there. "Listen to me, Dragon Boy," she said, "you made me a promise. You promised you'd always be there for me. You don't get to die now. You can't break that promise."

Hiccup swallowed thickly and shut his eyes. "I'll try not," he croaked.

"No, you _will_ not," said Astrid firmly, holding his hand tighter. "I won't let you. You aren't leaving me. You can't. I'll find a cure, don't worry. Don't worry..." She looked around frantically, partially hoping the cure would _pop_ out of thin air, and everything would be okay.

But it didn't.

The only thing she saw was Hiccup's satchel, which he had thrown to the side as he raced to Toothless when he first walked through the door.

Hiccup chuckled mirthlessly, but it died in his throat. "Not worried," he said, and he swallowed painfully, wincing. "Just...stay with me until it's over. Please."

Astrid squeezed his hand reassuringly, but she didn't answer. She was still focused on Hiccup's satchel.

Was it possible…?

"Fishlegs, the satchel!" she commanded, jerking her head in its direction, because pointing to it meant letting go of Hiccup's hand, and she wasn't willing to do that yet. "Now, give it to me now!"

Fishlegs scrambled to do as she had ordered, moving faster than Astrid had ever seen him move before. Ruffnut and Tuffnut had their heads bowed; Gobber and Snotlout were holding their helmets to their chests. Astrid wanted to yell at them. They were acting like Hiccup was already dead.

Fishlegs handed her the satchel, and she reluctantly released Hiccup's hand to dig through it. It had to be here, it had to be here, she had seen Hiccup put it in the satchel…

Finally, she found it, and pulled it out.

The dagger that had been buried inside the potato for Thor only knew how many years.

Astrid took Hiccup's hand again, the dagger held tightly in her other. "You trust me, don't you, Dragon Boy?" she asked.

This time, Hiccup managed a weak but honest smile. "With my life," he said.

Well, if that wasn't good enough, nothing was. She held his hand tightly in one of her own, the dagger clutched tightly in the other, and, after sending a silent prayer, pricked the tip of Hiccup's forefinger with the dagger.

It was her last desperate hope.

For the longest time, nothing happened. Hiccup's breathing was as labored as ever, and his eyes were closed again.

But then, miraculously, the juices of the potato that had gathered on the blade of the dagger found its way to Hiccup's bloodstream. His breathing became deeper and steadier; slowly but surely, the color returned to his face, only just slightly.

And he opened his eyes.

They weren't dazed or unfocused. They were clear and steady, focusing straight into Astrid's eyes.

"I think it worked," he said breathlessly.

The tides had turned...again.

And this time, they had turned for the better.

Astrid let out an inhuman shriek and yanked Hiccup into her arms, squeezing him as tight as she possibly could, and then tighter. She knew she was probably hurting him, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

Snotlout threw his helmet into the air and cheered, "YES!" The twins lifted their heads and smacked each other so hard they were almost knocked unconscious.

It seemed too much for Fishlegs. "Oh Thor…" he whispered, and he fainted, hitting the ground with a thud.

Astrid never wanted to let go of Hiccup again. His forehead was pressed against her neck, and she could feel his fever, but it was already lowering.

The cure had worked.

This time, everything really _was_ okay.


	8. Chapter 8

**LAST CHAPTER.**

 **Unfortunately, it is shorter than the last one, but...well...sorry in advance for the cliffhanger, as usual. :( And unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to do shout-outs this chapter, even though I want to...like I said, staring at the computer screen for long periods of time = migraines. :( So yeah. I'm sorry about that.**

 **BUT HERE'S MY GOAL: FINISH AND POST ALL EPISODES IN "RACE TO THE EDGE SEASON 2B" BEFORE SEASON 3 COMES OUT. Let's see if I can do it! :D**

 **I HAVE ONE MAIN SHOUT-OUT FOR EVERYONE...**

 **AND YOU CAN FIND IT IN THE END'S AUTHOR'S NOTES! :D I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH AND THANK YOU, BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE! :D :D :D :D :D ENJOY THE FINAL CHAPTER! :D**

* * *

Hiccup and Astrid sat on the edge of the platform in front of the Clubhouse the next morning, their legs dangling over the side of it. Toothless was curled around Hiccup, and Astrid was playing fetch with Stormfly, using her axe as the object of retrieval.

"What do you think we should do with the Vorpent, Hiccup?" Astrid asked, grabbing her axe from Stormfly and throwing it; Stormfly bounded after it like a dog.

"We could let it go," Hiccup said, shrugging. "Without its stinger, it's harmless."

"True," said Astrid, also shrugging. "Did Fishlegs ever figure out why the dragon was on the Edge in the first place?"

"The Venomous Vorpent dragons like cold, reclusive places," said Hiccup matter-of-factly. "During storms, sometimes the Vorpents get blown off their island and take shelter on another without realizing their mistake."

"In that case," said Astrid, "we should probably take the Vorpent somewhere cold, shouldn't we?"

"I don't think we have to," Hiccup said with another shrug. "It's barely winter. When Devastating winter rolls around, the Vorpent will find his way back to his own island."

Astrid nodded. "I'm glad we don't have to worry about him stinging anyone else," he said. "But we really should warn everyone back on Berk during the storms to be careful if they see another Vorpent."

"Agreed," Hiccup said. "I'll send an airmail over there later on."

The ground was covered in snow, but the wind had died down considerably; Gobber had left to return to Berk with word of why the dragon riders hadn't showed up for the peace treaty renewal.

"Anyways," said Hiccup, "do you remember the Dragon Eye lense we found in the front of Bork's notebook?"

"Yeah," said Astrid, "it's sitting on the shelf in the Clubhouse collecting dust."

"I think I might know where it led to," said Hiccup.

Astrid turned to him, suddenly excited. "Really?" she said. "Where?"

"The Land-That-Does-Not-Exist," said Hiccup. "The one Bork mentioned, where he found the potato, where he was attacked by the 'Hysteric Tribe', whatever that is. Bork didn't really mention any other islands worth an entire Dragon Eye lense other than that from what I've found so far."

"Yeah," said Astrid, nodding, thinking it over. "That makes sense. But of course, the Dragon Eye lense is useless without the actual Dragon Eye itself. We might never know what the lense actually has on it."

Hiccup looked down. Astrid stared at him.

"Hiccup? What are you thinking?"

"Hmm? Oh," Hiccup said, shaking his head. "I'm just thinking...we really should start thinking about how to get the Dragon Eye away from Ryker. We don't even know what it's capable of, and in enemy hands, who _knows_."

Astrid thought about this for a moment, and then, she nodded in agreement. "You're right," she said. "But for now, Hiccup, let's just think about today. We'll plan to take the Dragon Eye back soon enough."

Hiccup nodded. "You're right," he said, "but-"

He was cut off when a rather large snowball hit him square in the face from below. Astrid nearly fell off the platform she was laughing so hard, and Hiccup glared below the platform.

" _RUFFNUT AND TUFFNUT!"_ he shouted.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut shrugged innocently. "Oops!" said Tuffnut. "Did we do that? Guess we didn't see you there, H.!"

"Ooh, you are going to _get it_ ," Hiccup said lowly, and he scooped snow up from the platform, molded it into a ball, and threw it as hard as he possibly could directly at Tuffnut. Tuffnut, just before getting hit, seized Ruffnut by her arm and yanked her in front of him, using her as a shield.

"WAI-" Ruffnut shrieked, but she was cut off when Hiccup's snowball slammed into her face. Ruffnut spat snow out of her mouth and turned, glaring daggers at Tuffnut. She grabbed an entire armful of snow and dumped it over his head.

Tuffnut tripped Ruffnut, and she fell backwards into a large mound of snow. Ruffnut, furious, leapt from it and tackled Tuffnut into a much larger mound of powdery snow, and Tuffnut's shouts of protest could be heard by everyone in the area.

"We should help them," said Astrid.

Hiccup shrugged. "Eh, debatable."

Astrid rolled her eyes.

 _The funny thing about life is, sometimes you don't realize where you're going until you get there. You don't understand why something is happening until much later, when you can look back and realize why you underwent the quest at all._

 _I traveled so far in my attempt to save Toothless._

 _But in the end, it wasn't Toothless who I saved._

 _I saved myself._

…

A cloaked figure strode back and forth in front of a second, likewise cloaked figure in a dark room lit only by a small oil lamp on the table. The first looked to the second, stopped in his strides, and folded his hands.

"You see," said the first cloaked figure, "Dagur and his sister are at my disposal. I trust neither Dagur or his men will take anything I say for anything less than law now that I have his sister."

The second cloaked figure nodded. "Tis the truth, old friend," he said. "The Berserkers are weak when their leader is vulnerable. You have the entire army at your disposal."

"But I don't need an entire army at the moment," continued the first figure. "Armies I can come by easily through... _gentle_ persuasion." (The second figure chuckled darkly at this). "But it is not an army I seek," he continued. "I seek someone in particular."

The second figure lifted his head, his chapped lips twisting into a cruel smile. "I'm listening," he said.

The first man lowered his cloak to stare the second man in the eyes. "I need someone agile," said Viggo Grimborn lowly. "Someone who won't hesitate to take orders, no matter what they are and what they require. I need someone who won't back down from a fight, even when winning is hopeless."

The second figure nodded. "I am that someone," he said lowly, his voice more of a growl than anything else. "I will follow orders given to me by you and by you only. Otherwise, they will be disregarded."

"Wonderful," said Viggo, clapping his hands together. "In that case, my loyal friend, I have a job for you."

The second man smiled.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **I LOVE YOU GUYS.**

 **OKAY?**

 **I REALLY REALLY LOVE YOU GUYS.**

 **YOU ARE ALL SUCH BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE AND I LOVE YOU SO MUCH AND YOU MAKE MY DAY WITH ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT FOR THIS STORY AND I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU YOU ARE SO FANTASTIC AND GORGEOUS AND DON'T LET ANYONE TELL YOU OTHERWISE.**

 **THANK YOU SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO MUCH! :D**

 **Okay, that is all! :D See ya all soon! I love you guys so much and I hope you enjoyed this fanfiction! :D Of course those who read the books know that it was totally inspired by book four ("How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse"). Let me know what you thought of it! :D**

 **I think I'm going to follow my release date this time for "Cross my Wings and Hope To Fly Part 1", because I think "Cross My Wings..." is going to be a bit complicated...I want to have plenty of time to plan it out so I give you guys the best of the best. :)**

 **ANYWAYS, I hope you enjoyed this story! :D**

 **Cheers!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


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